One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us figure out your gardening schedule is the USDA zone info. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

The best time to plant oenothera in Bloomington can be determined by checking out the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Oenothera

Frost tolerance for oenothera:	Tolerant of some frost.
When to plant:	Up to 5 weeks before last frost.

Oenothera do well in moderate cold which means that you can plant them a little earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant oenothera in Bloomington is February. However, you really should wait until March if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant oenothera and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your oenothera may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your oenothera indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Bloomington. You can expect an average low temperature of -10°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Bloomington is just an average the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Bloomington you get a frost after April 15 so be sure to be ready to protect your oenothera if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Bloomington

Here is the info for USDA Zone 6a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-10°F
Highest Expected Low	-5°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -10°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -5°F.

Plants to Grow in Bloomington

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Bloomington.